‘Record-breaking year’ due for social housing, says Minister on Cork visit

HOUSING Minister Darragh O’Brien said the battle against homelessness wasn’t being lost after speaking to business leaders in Cork on Friday.

The Minister said the ‘main way to tackle homelessness was to increase housing supply’ and challenged Sinn Féin and others to stop objecting to proposed housing developments.

Responding to questions from reporters following a meeting with Cork Chamber of Commerce at the city’s Hayfield Manor Hotel, the Minister said that in the first nine of months of 2023, people were being exited from homelessness into safe and secure public accommodation ‘at a greater rate than ever seen before’.

“It still remains a challenge but the main way we tackle this is to increase housing supply, particularly around social housing supply,” he said, pointing out that last year more social housing had been built since 1975. “And I advised Cork Chamber of Commerce that we would build more again this year – we will have a record breaking year in relation to social housing delivery and, indeed, affordable housing delivery.” While in Cork he gave details about a number of apartment projects which had been approved in the city or were in the pipeline.

Minister O’Brien approved the development of 274 apartments in Blackrock Villas, the second such proposal to be approved under the Croí Cónaithe Cities scheme and the third to be approved nationwide. The other Cork project to be approved under the scheme consisted of 68 owner occupied apartments at Castletreasure/Maryborough in Douglas.

The Minister said while only 30,000 houses had been built in the 10 year period from 2011-2020, 30,000 houses were built just last year and he predicted more would be completed by the end of this year.

“I know there’s a lot more to do but there will be some who will try to deny progress but, worse than that, they will try to block progress in a systemic, systematic way but we will stay very focused and very determined.” 

He said there were up to 500 first time buyers every week now. “That’s a good thing because I support home-ownership and schemes like the First Homes Scheme and the Help to Buy are working.

“We’re never going to turn this around overnight but progress is going in the right direction and, really importantly, momentum is building.” While those schemes were working, Housing Minister’s Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant scheme had come under heavy criticism for Sinn Féin after it came to light that of the 2,500 grants approved, there had been no successful grant draw-downs by either Cork County Council or Cork City Council among the 21 grants drawn down nationwide in the first nine months.

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He accused critics of trying to ‘turn a positive into a negative’ and said there had been over 5,500 applications and over 2,500 approved. “Most people will know that grants are paid when work is done,” he said, adding that he had met many people who were using the grant to defray the costs of making houses inhabitable again.

“People who are focusing on a draw down level are being disingenuous and, frankly, being dishonest about it because they’re trying to undermine the scheme.

Pointing his finger at Sinn Féin, he said the party had provided no funding in their alternative budget for the Croí Cónaithe Maintenance grant and stressed that the party’s stated policy was to transfer the scheme back into the local authority.

The Minister had been speaking about the Housing for All policy at the Chamber of Commerce event, a contribution which was described as ‘positive’ by the body’s CEO, Conor Healy.

“The recent adjustments made to the Housing For All strategy as well as the housing package announced in Budget 2024 are very welcome as our business community is keen to see the pressure in the market alleviated,” he said.

“Under Project Ireland 2040 Cork’s population is set to grow by 50-60%,he said, adding that this growth was faster than had been anticipated.

“Government support for delivery of housing to enhance the attractiveness of our city region is essential.” “Cork must expand sustainably and continue to be a welcoming place to live, work and invest in.”